north carolina, day 3. the wedding.

the wedding was beautiful, and fun.... and yes i cried.  i couldn't help it!  the song that played when carmella was walking down the aisle was absolutely beautiful.

also?  i looked like a complete fool walkingslashdancing up the aisle.  we were asked to "get our hips into it" and i tried my hardest to get my groove on, but my attempts were ridiculous, and ben has the video footage to prove it.  oh well.

carmella's husband and all of the family there were so warm and welcoming to us, we felt like we fit right in.  i love that, and made a conscious thought to myself to work harder to be this way with others.  after the wedding everyone danced, and ben and i were no exception.  let me say, we did not have the moves that everyone else seemed to have, and we laughed at ourselves the majority of the time.  but we let go, and it was fabulous.

after the reception, we took off for the beach!



here, are the pictures from the wedding.

north carolina, day 2.

we woke up late, got lost several times trying to find a place to eat, ate breakfast when everyone else was eating lunch, and started on our 2 hour drive to make it in time for the wedding rehearsal and dinner.

i read to ben, one of our favorite things to do together {or was on our pre-kid road trips}, and couldn't stop staring out of the windows at all of the green.  i know i've vented quite a bit about life in arizona, and i've searched--and found--beauty here, but my soul needs green.  i felt myself coming more alive just being close to it.

we were excited to see carmella again, she was our right-hand lady at the group home, who was there with us from beginning to end.  we honestly couldn't have made it through that year without her, she brought a hilarious sense of humor mixed with a no-nonsense attitude and by the end of our time together, we considered her family.  i was so honored when she asked me to be a bridesmaid.

after the wedding rehearsal, ben and i split up--me going with the other bridesmaids and carmella to get our nails did--ben joining the groom and groomsmen for a movie.  then we drove back to our hotel and went to sleep.  pretty non-eventful, but a fun, relaxing day nonetheless.